Where to Stay– category –

Yufuin Kotobuki Hananosho is a 50-room onsen ryokan a 5-minute walk from Yufuin Station, with a 2,000-tsubo garden and a Noh stage floating on a pond. Before you book: check in by 18:00, the shared baths close at midnight, and there is no bookable private bath. From the official pages.

Ryokan Nanjoen is a 12-room inn on a hill in the center of Kurokawa Onsen, Kumamoto, open since 1964. Before you book: only three rooms have their own bath, two private family baths are free for guests, and breakfast starts at 8:15. From the official pages.

Nakashimakan is a small family inn in the Nakao Kogen area of Shin-Hotaka Onsen, Okuhida, hosting three to four groups a night. Before you book: every bath is private and free, dinner starts at 18:00 for everyone, and rooms share toilets. From the official pages.

Hanakazari Inn (Hotel Hanakazari) is an eight-room hot-spring inn on a hill above Tsunashirazu Bay in Shirahama, Wakayama. Before you book: all three baths are free private baths, both meals are served in your room, and every room shares its bath and toilet. From the official pages.

Oyado Shitanda is an irori inn in a 180-year-old farmhouse about 8 km from Takayama Station. Before you book: most rooms share toilets, the inn has no restaurants within walking distance, and check-in runs 15:30 to 19:00. From the official pages.

Yamabiko Ryokan is a 19-room inn by the Tanoharu River in Kurokawa Onsen, Kumamoto. Before you book: six private baths are free with no booking, meals are served in private rooms in a separate dining building, and the booking page is in Japanese. From the official pages.

Dogo Onsen Yachiyo is a Matsuyama inn where all 28 rooms have an open-air hot-spring bath and both meals are served in your room. Before you book: allergy requests close 3 days ahead, beds are mattresses on a raised floor, and booking is in Japanese. From the official pages.

Yufu Ryochiku is a small inn founded in 1925 in an old folk house on Yufuin's Yunotsubo street. Before you book: all four onsen baths are private and open 24 hours, meals cannot be adjusted for allergies or vegetarian diets, and children are accepted only on some plans. From the official pages.

Nushiyu Ryokan is a small family-run inn facing the Yubatake in Kusatsu Onsen, with baths from the Shirahata spring open 24 hours. Before you book: payment is cash only, there is no elevator, and the doors lock at 23:00. From the official pages.

Nisaino Yuyado Asahiya is a ten-room onsen inn in Kannawa, Beppu, with a private open-air bath in most rooms. Before you book: no children of junior high school age or younger, breakfast only (no dinner plan), and showers instead of bathtubs in every room. From the official pages.

Kisoya is a 1988 Japanese-style inn in Gero Onsen, Gifu, opposite City Hall, with tatami-floored hot-spring baths, in-room dinners and Hida beef. Before you book: there is no private bath, staff do not speak foreign languages, and no room is non-smoking. From the official pages.

Inaka no Yado Sawa is a 10-room family minshuku in Nozawa Onsen, Nagano, where the owner guides guests into the mountains in every season. Before you book: reservations are by phone, there are two rooms for guests with dogs, and some details differ between official pages.